'A real community effort': Inclusion NWT celebrates 60 years of advocacy and growth

Inclusion NWT is getting ready to celebrate 60 years of advocating for people with disabilities, growing from a group of concerned parents to an organization that offers education, employment and broad support services for clients and families. 

"From its very start, it has been a voice for families and people who have intellectual and other disabilities," said Lynn Elkin, Inclusion NWT's former executive director.

The organization has continually pushed the boundaries of what inclusion can look like, said Elkin, who led the organization for the last decade.

"It's sort of like peeling an onion. You get that first level of acceptance and inclusion in a community and then you're like, 'now we can go that next step,'" said Elkin.

For its celebrations, the organization is preparing outdoor COVID-safe events and partnerships with local businesses that have supported them.

For the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, which run from Feb. 14 to April 14, there will be public displays about its history and growth in public spaces and businesses across Yellowknife.

In the 1960s, parents of children with disabilities were told they would have to move south if they wanted services, said Elkin. 

In response, parents fought for their children to have equal access to education and raised money to make it happen.

By 1963, there were seven kids taking afternoon classes in the newly founded school for children with disabilities. By 1975, students from the Abe Miller School were integrated into the Įtł'ǫ̀ (formerly J.H. Sissons) School.

Inclusion NWT hired Joyce Williams to run the programming, and Della Lewis, a teacher and nurse served as program director until 1995.

Lewis ran arts programming for the students, establishing a woodworking and ceramics shop, which produced items they could sell. 

The organization was able to construct the new Abe Miller Centre in 1989.

Inclusion NWT began offering literacy upgrades for some students and purchasing new computers to teach math and language with accessible programs. It also connected students with part-time work placements such as courier jobs, assisting at the thrift shop on Franklin Avenue and business services. 

Lewis said the last major project she took part in was opening an outdoor café.